I dont think its any secret, but I've always been a Ford guy. I don't know why, but since I was a kid I've had to have a Ford. Even now, I get a small pang of resentment that I drive a Pontiac and not a Ford

Up until the point where I gained a little wisdom (read: got screwed over yet again) I was a GM guy, like my dad. He never goes farther than the nearest GM dealership (never mattered which make), and picked one off the lot. Never ordered a certain colour, options, or anything. He is exactly the reason why the Big Three set themselves up for failure.

To answer the immediate question, no, I am the last thing from brand loyal now.

I bought my first VW Jetta in 88 and I have been hooked on German / european cars ever since... but not one brand. ? Does that count as loyal. Not sure. But, I'll take a German produced car over most others..

I've owned over 120 cars in the last 38 years. Crs from most major manufacturers worldwide. I've has British, Italian, American, German, Swedish, French, Japanese and Korean. I've had good and bad from each (mostly good, though there have been a couple beaters that were POS due to age and abuse). And I'd never let a previous experience with a marque or even model sway me from a future purchase, as I judge cars on an individual example basis. Especailly if that example was from 10-20 years ago.

i used to a loyal chrysler guy, but when chrysler was sold to cygnis group that was the beginning of the end, i have since went over to Ford but what i am seeing them make lately i would lean towards mazda or honda, so loyality is pretty much out the window , in my case

I don't know why, but I have been a Mazda fan since I became an enthusiast. My dad would always (and still does) buy a German car - either a VW or Audi - but I don't know where I got the Mazda thing from.

Alfas are a special breed, there is something in driving them that cannot be explained in words, you have to feel it, to live the experience. They are not the fastest, or the best road huggers, but when you're driving them, they give back so much more than ordinary cars. Jeremy Clarkson described them best when he said: "You can't really call yourself apetrolhead until you've owned an Alfa Romeo" ... and I agree ...

I sat in a brand-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta Lusso the other day over in Ireland and it was everything I imagined. The new Alfas are beautifully made, smell absolutely wonderful inside, and have a style all to their own!

Interestingly I never became loyal to any brand. My father owned some unique cars such as a Chrysler Airflow, but he went from driving Plymouths to Chevys to Fords to Chrysler Minivans. I must say that of all the makes I've owned my favorite cars were the Triumph Spitfire( a blast to drive) My two Mustang 5.0 liters (fast and reliable) and my MR2 (a blast to drive and bulletproof) I guess I need loads of cash and a large garage to sample the offerings of many brands.

My dad had company cars that changed every couple of years. Earliest I remember was a 4 door '60 Plymouth Valiant with a faux spare tire bubble on the trunk, then a '62 Buick LaSabre, a '66 Chevy Impala, followed by a '68 Plymouth Fury. They all had new car smell, bench seats and skinny bias ply tires on steel wheels. The Buick was a breakthrough in size, power and air conditioning. Woo Hoo.

My dad also turned me on to Car and Driver and Road & Track magazine as an early teen and I started reading about radial tires, disk brakes and the superior handling of German, Italian, Swedish and English cars that were performance tuned for roads less speed limited. You could see it in their stance and the odd half flat look of their radial tires. American cars were all about a smooth ride and big motors. Corners... not so much.

I made myself a fan of whatever brand of car we had but felt no ultimate loyalty because we changed brands often and I was aware of more expensive and exotic brands probably more worthy of loyalty.

I love my 10 year old BMW but feel the growth of the company has taken away some of the performance edge it used to own and dominate. There's so much technology in cars that supports and coddles a driver that we are creating the first generation of drivers who will never know what it's like to drive without ABS and traction control. Like the "Save The Manuals" crowd, the simple purity of a rear drive Lotus Super Seven, Alfa Spyder or Triumph Spitfire will never be known to first time drivers.

It's hard to be loyal to shapes made by wind tunnels that look more the same than different. And to marketing of electronic interfaces for phones, iPods and GPS's.

Those early cars had personalities, character and quirks. They weren't perfect but, like people, you learned to love 'em and accept their imperfections.

New cars are for the most part so good and reliable now that it's hard to fall in or out of love with them. They are becoming more and more automated appliances that transport us reliably where we want to go. Money will always determine luxury and power but we are now moving toward automated cars that you'll punch the address into and be taken there while you read a book or listen to you iPod. Hard to fall in love with or be loyal to that because there is no involvement with driving.

You know Pat, you expressed very well what I have thought for years. It amazes me that my Midget and Spitfire had no A/C, power windows locks, etc.They were such simple machines. How did the British manage to design them so that they failed so often? There were so few things to fail! As you so eloquently stated, their lack of perfection was overshadowed by their ability to make you smile as you drove a go-kart while everyone around you piloted a barge.

I've always been partial to Honda/Acura cars not because I drank the koolaid but because they are genuinely good, well made, efficient vehicles with a bit of character. My first car (I turned 16 in 1993) was a 1987 Camaro. Of course back then a Camaro as my first as my first car seemed cool at the time but that level of enjoyment soon came to an end as leaky t-tops, computer failures, catalytic converter issues etc etc ruined that experience. My mother then sold the car and she bought mate a 1989 Honda Accord LXi. Of course at first I was a bit discouraged but this car just made sense. It handled well, it was roomy, efficient, and reliable. I was hooked. I done some research about the company and Soichiro Honda and found a vast level of information that seemed to be almost unbelievable. The levels of challenges, successful racing heritage among other things just made the Honda brand that much more attractive.

A year later I purchased a 1991 Civic Ex 5 speed and in 1995 my parents helped me get a 1995 Honda Civic Ex for graduation. Of course by then I had a better knowledge of cars and Hondas in general and a few years lafer (1999) I had a fully adjustable suspension, a Integra Type R drivetrain, brake upgrade, etc etc. Fun car.

Fast forward to today, and we have a 2002 Honda S2000, a 2005 Honda S2000 (wife), a 2008 Acura TL and a 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite (2 sets of twins and a single) which will soon be replaced with a 2014 Acura MDX Advance.

I know Honda hasnt been on their A game for a few years now but I think I currently own some of the best and most successful Honda products to date. The new Accord seems to be the stepping stone to that previous Honda goodness but Honda has to remain consistent with each new model. However, there are some vehicles that we have strongly considered:

- Audi S4 (me)

- Audi Q7 TDI (wife)

After doing research we found these vehicles were uneccessarily too expensive to purchase and maintain. Not that we couldn't afford them but we saw no need to afford them as its just uneccessary. Of course my wife will still get her MDX but I'm unsure of what exactly I want. I know I want a 4 door sports/luxury sedan with at least 300hp but there are so many great offerings from various manufacturers and I'm still pausing until some more substantial info on the Acura TLX becomes available. If I dont purchase that car the ATS, IS350, 335i all look favorable but I just wish I could get the ATS with the BMW's N55 turbo inline 6 as a top notch chassis (ATS) needs a top notch engine (BMW N55) to match.

When I was young my neighbors bought the very first Civic and the rest of the neighborhood looked at them like they were wierdos. A few years later they added an Accord to their fleet and they just kept buying Hondas and passing the older cars down to the next child that turned sixteen (there were seven children in the family) By the time they moved from the neighborhood they were on their fifth Honda and still owned the original Civic. That's brand loyalty.